moon_guardfandomcom-20200213-history
Constitution of the Congregation of the Silver Hand
The Constitution of the Congregation of the Silver Hand is the governing document of the Congregation. The BISHOP OF THE SILVER HAND, as PREFECT of the Council, has the ABSOLUTE AND TOTAL RIGHT to hold the council to the letter of the rules established above. It is similarly reaffirmed that the ARCHBISHOP supersedes these rules and may invalidate, change, reestablish, overrule, replace, or otherwise amend, suspend, or promulgate such. The following document is the final draft of the third edition of the Constitution of the Congregation of the Silver Hand, including all changes made by Grand Knight, Melysa Marwyn-Ashvale on May 27th, and awaiting the approval of the Archbishop, Alonsus Secundus. CONSTITUTION OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE SILVER HAND Third Edition, penned by Grand Knight Melysa Marwyn-Ashvale. 'Preamble' It is established herein... That, in union with the COUNCIL OF BISHOPS, and by their commission that ALL '[[Grand Alliance|'ALLIANCE PALADINS]] once bound by oath to the ORDER OF THE SILVER HAND, or presently bound by oath in service to the CHURCH OF THE HOLY LIGHT, or aspiring to paladinhood, should hereafter come together as one to form the polity of the CONGREGATION OF THE SILVER HAND under the direction of the PREFECT BISHOP and GRAND KNIGHT of the Congregation. That this CONGREGATION recognizes the rightwise orthodoxy of the CHURCH OF THE HOLY LIGHT and freely acquiesces to the traditional bonds of faith and governance that rest between said Church and said Order of Paladins, as set forth in the code of the original ORDER OF THE SILVER HAND. In accordance with the beliefs of this most sacred relationship let it be known that the CHURCH OF THE HOLY LIGHT and its rightful executors, the COUNCIL OF BISHOPS, is vested rightly with full power and authority to make, alter and repeal all of the laws, rules and regulations for the administration, discipline and formation of the CONGREGATION OF THE SILVER HAND with or without the notice of the members of the congregation, that congregation being pledged to the defense of the HOLY CHURCH, and the GRAND ALLIANCE; And that this Congregation is wholly a congregation of the COUNCIL OF BISHOPS, subject to the same laws, governance, expectations, and duties required of all other congregations, serving under its PREFECT, the BISHOP OF THE SILVER HAND. 'Authority' The CONGREGATION has the RIGHT TO VOTE RESOLUTIONS which are then passed to the APROPRIATE AUTHORITY, be they the BISHOP OF THE SILVER HAND, the LORD CHANCELLOR of the Church, or the ARCHBISHOP. The CONGREGATION may not take upon itself powers that are possessed solely by the CHURCH, ARCHBISHOP, COUNCIL, or PREFECT, such as the ability to RESOLVE DOCTRINAL DISPUTES, MAKE WARS, CALL CRUSADES, and CAST OUT PALADINS from the ORDER OF THE SILVER HAND. However, the CONGREGATION does have the RIGHT TO RESOLVE that it would like any of these things to be done, thus DIRECTLY REPRESENTING its position to those in authority. --Whereupon, the authority so referred should either accede to the request of the Congregation or decline, providing some explanation of either course. 'Mission of the Congregation' The Reformed Congregation of the Silver Hand 'is a Congregation of the Council of Bishops, led by the Prefect Bishop and the Grand Knight of the Congregation of the Silver Hand. It serves as a body by which veteran paladins and all loyal members of the Order come together in the effort to uphold the honour and Code of the Silver Hand, to spread the wisdom of the Holy Light across Alliance lands, protect the faithful and act as the mighty hammer of the Light's wrath, striking down its most unholy enemies. 'Membership Requirements The Congregation of the Silver Hand shall accept, as speaking representatives, the Paladin who is the head of each chapter or order of Paladins that have been approved by the Bishop of the Silver Hand (or, his officially designated Paladin representative, from within the same order). These members are equal in stature at the Congregation, and are each possessed with a single, non-transferable vote, in all matters before the Congregation. Paladins not presently affiliated with a chapter may obtain membership as individuals, pending approval of the Bishop of the Silver Hand. Individual peers are each possessed with a single, non-transferable vote, in all matters before the Congregation. Only members of the Congregation, the Bishop of the Silver Hand, the Grand Knight, the Lord Chancellor of the Church, or the Archbishop may address the congregation as 'members' or 'peers'. All others who wish to speak must be invited so to do in a motion, seconded, and voted upon by the congregation. The titular style for voting, representative members is "The Right Honourable" as in, "The Right Honourable X," "The Right Honourable Representative for the X." For a chapter or order to gain recognition by the Bishop of the Silver Hand, the said chapter or order must demonstrate: 1.) That its paladins are trained and squired in accordance with the mission statement of the Congregation. 2.) That its paladins are wholly orthodox and knowledgeable believers of the teachings of the Holy Light. 3.) That its paladins are virtuous; and that the order will not suffer fallen, corrupt, or otherwise gravely sullied paladins to remain within its ranks. 4.) That its paladins are loyal to the Light, the Holy Church, and the Grand Alliance, being not neutral in any regard. 5.) That its paladins are duly consecrated in a manner which does not deviate in any way from the consecrations performed by the Order of the Silver Hand as established by Alonsus Faol and Uther the Lightbringer. This includes having sworn the paladin's oath (Shown below) The Paladin's Oath: "To uphold the honor and code of the Order of the Silver Hand, to walk in the Light's grace and spread its wisdom to our fellow man, to vanquish evil wherever it may be found, and to protect the innocent with our very lives." Should the Prefect Bishop or the Grand Knight determine that a body or individual has lapsed in these observances, they may revoke membership until the body or individual is once again in accordance with the principles above. 'Meetings' Meetings will be held at Northshire Abbey as required. (Typically on a Saturday at 8pm) However, the Congregation's primary focus will be the successful implimentation of training exercises and military action, rather than council meetings. Council meetings will be held only where they are required to discuss, vote on and/or plan joint military action. 'Offices of the Congregation' All official positions within the Congregation are to be appointed by the Lord Chancellor or the Congregational Prefect, (Bishop of the Silver Hand) save for the Grand Knight of the Congregation, who shall be appointed by the Archbishop. 'Grand Knight of the Congregation of the Silver Hand ' The GRAND KNIGHT is a Master paladin appointed to serve as an exemplary model for all paladins in the Congregation. The GRAND KNIGHT is appointed without set term by the ARCHBISHOP, and is endowed with the supreme, knightly authority to teach, instruct, educate and assist in the anointing of all paladins in the Congregation. The GRAND KNIGHT leads the Tribunal and may, if urged by necessity, address the Council of Bishops directly. The titular style for the GRAND KNIGHT is "Right Honourable Grand Knight". 'Lord Chancellor of the Church' While NOT technically a position WITHIN the C'ONGREGATION', the Lord Chancellor of the Church is responsible for overseeing many of the Congregations of the Council of Bishops and may advise the Prefect Bishop of the Silver Hand, taking action where it is necessary. The titular style for the Grand Master is "His/Her/Your Excellency". 'Congregational Prefect ' The Congregational Prefect is, as in all congregations of the Council of Bishops, the supreme head of the Congregation. The Congregational Prefect of the Congregation of the Silver Hand shall be the Bishop of the Silver Hand. The Prefect is responsible for ensuring meetings are held, ensuring order is maintained during meetings, and for evaluating and ensuring membership requirements are met, and remain adhered to. The Prefect carries the full weight of the Congregation's organizational, and political responsibility upon his or her shoulders. The titular style for the Prefect is the same as the style for that individual's rank within the Church (i.e., for a bishop, it is "The Most Reverend, His/Her/Your (Most Reverend) Grace)". 'The Tribunal' The Congregational Tribunal will consist of an unset number of Master Paladins of the Silver Hand, each tasked with a specific duty-set as determined by the Grand Knight, the Prefect, and the Chancellor. The duties of the Tribunal will include the following: - Maintaining order during meetings. - Calling meetings to order and adjourning meetings. - Recognition of those who wish to speak in council. - The responsibility of maintaining the Council Docket. - The responisibilty of recording the minutes of each Council meeting. - Establishing and maintaining a seminary of paladins under the direction of the Exemplar and the Bishop of the Silver Hand that shall facilitate the continued spiritual and physical training of aspirants. - Upholding and epitomising the Code of the original Order of the Silver Hand above all others. - Where necessary, serving as Commanders on the field of battle. - In special cases, proposing worthy aspirants to the Grand Knight and the Bishop of the Silver Hand for consecration as Paladins. The titular style for the Knights of the Tribunal is "Lord Paladin X" (With X being the paladin's surname). 'Rules Concerning Officers' - Officers are expected to arrive fifteen minutes prior to the start of each meeting. Officers who are frequently tardy shall be replaced. - Should an officer fail to attend two successive meetings absent written notification, he or she will be considered to have deserted his or her office and the Prefect may appoint a replacement. - Should an officer fail to attend three sucessive meetings absent written notification, he or she will have forfeited his or her post and membership entirely. At this time, the Prefect must appoint a replacement. 'Rules of Order' The rules of order apply to all council meetings of the Congregation and must be observed by all representative peers, observers and guest speakers. 'Business ' Business should be submitted to the Prefect Bishop or the Grand Knight, in writing, at least forty-eight hours in advance of the meeting. The docket cannot be changed in the twenty-four hours before the meeting. Matters on the docket are raised in the order submitted. After all old business is completed, if time remains, new business may be addressed. New business is a discussion brought before the Council either by the motion of a peer, or by the presentation of a communication to the assembly. It is not usual to make motions to receive reports of committees or communications to the assembly. There are many other cases in the ordinary routine of business where the formality of a motion is dispensed with, but should any peer object, a regular motion becomes necessary. No motion contemplating action may be brought as New Business without the special, explicit approval of the Prefect of the Congregation, given on a case-by-case basis. New business is limited exclusively to discussion of issues. 'What Precedes Debate' Before any subject is open to debate it is necessary, first, that a motion be made by a peer who has obtained the floor; second, that it be seconded (with certain exceptions); and third, that it be stated by the Speaker. The fact that a motion has been made and seconded does not put it before the assembly, as the Speaker alone can do that. He or she must either rule it out of Order, or state the question on it so that the assembly may know what is before it for consideration and action, that is, what is the immediately pending question. If several questions are pending, as a resolution and an amendment and a motion to postpone, the last one stated by the Speaker is the immediately pending question. Motions may contain one or many propositions; however, only a single vote is taken on any individual motion. If the motion fails, all parts of the motion fail. If the motion passes, all parts of the motion pass. Abstentions count as votes to enforce the state of the council prior to the motion--typically, this is 'Nay'. 'Obtaining the Floor' Before a peer makes a motion or addresses the assembly in debate, it is necessary that he or she should obtain the floor -- that is, he or she must raise his hand to signal this intent after the floor has been yielded, and address the presiding officer by his or her official title. If the assembly is large so that the peer's name may be unknown to the Speaker, the peer should give his or her name as soon as he or she catches the eye of the Speaker after addressing him or her. It is the responsibility of the Secretary to assist the Speaker in keeping track of who is next to speak, in order. If the peer is entitled to the floor, as shown hereafter, the Speaker "recognises" him or her, or assigns him or her the floor, by announcing his or her name. If a peer speaks before the floor has been yielded, he or she cannot obtain the floor. It is out of Order to speak when another has the floor, and remarks, motions, or actions by any peer speaking out of order shall not be recognized by the assembly. Out of order conduct is grounds for removal from meetins of the council. 'Motions and Resolutions' A motion is a proposal that the assembly take certain action, or that it express itself as holding certain views. It is made by a peer's obtaining the floor as already described and saying, "I move that" (which is equivalent to saying, "I propose that"), and then stating the action he or she proposes to have taken. Thus a peer "moves" (proposes) that a resolution be adopted, or amended, or referred to a committee, or that a vote of thanks be extended, etc.; or "That it is the sense of this meeting (or assembly) that ______ action be taken," etc. If the motion is for an action which the Congregation cannot lawfully undertake, the Speaker should observe this and, with the confirmation of the Bishop of the Silver Hand (or, in the absence of such, the confirmation of the Lord Chancellor, or Archbishop) announce that the motion is unlawful and is thus disregarded. 'Seconding Motions' For a motion to be considered by the Congregation, it must be seconded. This is to prevent time being consumed in considering a question that only one person favors. Typically, a second is offered on most significant issues. Should a motion proceed without a second, any one may make a point of order that the motion has not been seconded, and then the Speaker is obliged to proceed formally and call for a second. A motion is seconded by a peer's saying "I second the motion," "Seocnded," or "I second it," which he or she does without obtaining the floor. In large assemblies, and especially where non-members are scattered throughout the assembly, members raise their hands, and without waiting for recognition, say, "I second the motion." 'Debate' After a question has been stated by the Speaker, it is before the assembly for consideration and action. All resolutions, reports of committees, communications to the assembly, and all amendments proposed to them, and all other motions except the Undebatable Motions may be debated before final action is taken on them, unless by a majority vote the assembly decides to dispose of them without debate. In the debate each peer has the right to speak twice on the same question on the same day (except on an appeal), but cannot make a second speech on the same question as long as any peer who has not spoken on that question desires the floor. No peer may speak longer than ten minutes at a time without permission of the assembly. Debate must be limited to the merits of the immediately pending question -- that is, the last question stated by the Speaker that is still pending; except that in a few cases the main question is also open to debate. Speakers must address their remarks to the Speaker, and be courteous in their language and deportment. Speakers should not address their fellows by name in the debates, but rather refer to them as "The Honourable Representative for X" where X is the name of the Order, Chapter, or Body. It is not customary for paladins to address individual members; rather, all discussion is directed towards the whomever is at that time acting as speaker. 'Secondary Motions' To assist in the proper disposal of the question, various subsidiary motions are used, such as to amend, to commit, etc., and for the time being the subsidiary motion replaces the resolution, or motion, and becomes the immediately pending question. While these are pending, a question incidental to the business may arise, as a question of Order, and this incidental question interrupts the business and, until disposed of, becomes the immediately pending question. And all of these may be superseded by certain motions, called privileged motions, as to adjourn, of such supreme importance as to justify their interrupting all other questions. All of these motions that may be made while the original motion is pending are sometimes referred to as secondary motions. 'Putting the Question and Announcing the Vote' First, a quorum must be present before any vote can be called. Quorum for the congregation is half of the body (rounded up, in case of fractions) plus one. So, if the body consists of 15 members, quorum is 9 (half of 15 is 7.5--rounded up to 8, plus 1). The Speaker may order the Sergeant-at-Arms to compel voting members to be present. Voting members are required to be present as part of their duties and, if absent without cause approved by the Speaker or Prefect Bishop of the Silver Hand (or the Archbishop), may be brought into the Congregation by force. Presence, even under duress, shall constitute portion of quorum. When the debate is closed, the Grand Knight asks again, "Are there remaining matters on this question prior to a vote?" If no one rises, he proceeds to take the vote on the question, first calling for the affirmative (Aye) and then for the negative vote (Nay). In putting the question the Speaker should make perfectly clear what the question is that the assembly is to decide. If the question is on the adoption of a resolution, unless it has been read very recently, it should be read again, the question being put in a way similar to this: "The question is on the adoption of the resolution the Speaker reads; those in favor of the resolution say aye; those opposed say no. The ayes have it, and the resolution is adopted;" or, "The noes have it, and the resolution is lost." The vote should always be announced, as it is a necessary part of putting the question. The assembly is assumed not to know the result of the vote until announced by the Speaker, and the vote does not go into effect until announced and confirmed by the Speaker. As soon as the result of the vote is announced the Speaker should state the next business in Order. All matters of council business require a majority vote of the entire body (not just those present) in order to pass. Any absent representatives are understood to have abstained (their vote maintains the congregation in its state prior to the vote--typically 'nay'). 'Adjournment ' When the Congregation has reached the designated time for adjournment, the Speaker should announce that time for the meeting has elapsed. A motion may then be made to add thirty minutes of extra time. Such a motion must be seconded and voted upon; should it fail, the meeting is adjourned. Motions for extra time may be made thrice, after which no more motions for extra time may be tabled, and the meeting is adjourned. If a meeting is adjourned before all of the business on the docket has been addressed, the remaining business is shifted onto the docket for the following meeting. After the meeting is adjourned, the meeting may not be reconvened until the following designated meeting day (in the next month). No business may be enacted after adjournment, nor may the congregation hear discussion or maintain members present. 'Suspension of the Rules of Order ' In accordance with the principles of the Congregation established in the preamble, only the Archbishop may suspend the rules of order, or the workings of the Congregation presented above. Disclaimer It is again reaffirmed that the '''BISHOP OF THE SILVER HAND', as prefect of the Council, has the ABSOLUTE AND TOTAL RIGHT to hold the council to the letter of the rules established above. It is similarly reaffirmed that the ARCHBISHOP supersedes these rules and may invalidate, change, reestablish, overrule, replace, or otherwise amend, suspend, or promulgate such.'' This document is '''a work in progress' and will certainly be changed according to the needs of the Congregation, the Church, and the Council of Bishops, with the continued intent of improving the means by which Paladins may represent themselves to one another and to the Holy Church.'' Category:Documents Category:Legal Documents Category:Order of the Silver Hand Category:Council of Bishops Category:Congregation of the Silver Hand Category:Reformed Congregation of the Silver Hand